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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Temporary absence or cessation of breathing.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In pathology, partial privation or suspension of respiration; want of breath. Speciflcally, it denotes the inhibition of respiration by the presence of an abnormally great quantity of oxygen in the blood. It is also improperly used by some to denote the opposite condition, that of asphyxia
  2. n. See apnæa.

Wiktionary

  1. n. The cessation of breathing.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. transient cessation of respiration.
  2. n. Partial privation or suspension of breath; suffocation; same as apnea.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. transient cessation of respiration

Etymologies

  1. New Latin apnoea, from Greek apnoia : a-, without; see a-1 + pnoiā, -pnoia, breathing (from pnein, to breathe; see pneu- in Indo-European roots).

Examples

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  • gjmurphy The joy of breathlessness. May 31, 2007

‘apnea’ has been looked up 1259 times, loved by 3 people, added to 10 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 7.